A motorist denounces an unexpected increase in the parking rate at Charleroi airport during her second visit in 24 hours. The airport explains that this measure aims to combat unofficial parking which harms its image.
After dropping a friend off at Charleroi airport and paying 3 euros for a short stopover, Alexianne was stunned to have to pay 10 euros on her second visit in less than 24 hours. “It’s a scam”she is indignant via the orange Alert Us button.
In mid-October, Alexianne drove a friend to Charleroi airport. “To drop it off, I had to park for a minute and pay 3 euros for parking. Until then, although it was already a theft, move on…”she says. The next morning, she returns to the same airport to accompany a second friend. “And there, what was my surprise when the machine asked me for 10 euros for parking! I then called someone via the button and they explained to me that it was my second visit in 24 hours! Look for the connection with the price of parking! It’s truly scandalous…”she is indignant.
The airport justifies its pricing policy
Faced with this situation, Vincent Grassa, head of the communications department at Charleroi airport, provides explanations. “In fact, during a second visit to the Express car park or to the P1 car park over a period of 24 hours, the rate is €10, as indicated, among other things, on signs at the entrance to the car parks”he specifies.
Unofficial car parks in the viewfinder
Vincent Grassa explains that this measure aims to fight against “pirate car park shuttles located around the airport, taking advantage of the image and identity of the airport”. He details: “In fact, these are different car parks which have been set up around the airport and which use the name Charleroi Airport. They manage, via digital systems, to create websites which allow passengers to go to this type of site. parking.”
These unofficial parking lots require shuttles to transport passengers to the terminal, causing numerous return trips. “These parking lots are not on the airport site, they are outside. So they have a shuttle, a car, which goes back and forth to drop off passengers at the airport each time”explains Vincent Grassa.
An effective measure to limit pirate parking
The increase in fares for successive passages has had a positive impact. “It helped to slow down the phenomenon, since inevitably the passengers, little by little, understood what these car parks do. Especially since we also had quite a few problems with certain car parks which in fact used the passengers’ vehicles during their stay, while they still used the name Charleroi airport”he indicates.
This practice harmed the image of the airport. “In terms of the service offered to passengers and the image that this may have given to the airport, because of the poor service provided to passengers, we had to be able to stem this, and be able to say that no, it’s not the parking lots airport officials”underlines the spokesperson.
A similar policy in other airports
Vincent Grassa states that this strategy is common elsewhere: “It is the airport which decided on this increase to stem this phenomenon because by doing a benchmark on all the other airports, and it is more or less the same system”.
Communication to be strengthened?
However, is the information on airport parking prices clear enough for users? “I can understand that it is difficult to integrate. But, in general, a passenger or an accompanying person who comes to drop off the passenger does not come to pick them up within 24 hours. It rarely happens, but it can happen”recognizes Vincent Grassa.
He insists that the information is available: “When you arrive at the express parking lot, you have the signs where it is indicated and it is also indicated on our website.”
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